


Blades of Marmora

by Nichirin_Midori2222



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Art, Cover Art, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:09:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27580505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nichirin_Midori2222/pseuds/Nichirin_Midori2222
Summary: Lance lived with his mother and sister Allura in a small village in the very center of Altea and he always dreamed of adventures and travels. But what will he do when he really becomes part of this big world, his mother will turn out to be the lost princess, and he himself, in order to save his sister and the country, will have to go to the barbaric Marmora and marry the ruler of those lands?
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47





	1. Princess

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Ostrza Marmory](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26712829) by [Nichirin_Midori2222](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nichirin_Midori2222/pseuds/Nichirin_Midori2222). 



> This is the translation of my other fanficition. Originally it is in polish, so if don't mind the language you can find more of the story here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26712829/chapters/65162923

“Once upon a time Altea was a great and powerful kingdom...” a gentle, female voice was carried in the dimness of a small room illuminated only by the flickering flame of an oil lamp. “Peace and prosperity reigned there, and its inhabitants were famous all over the world for their alchemical skills, technology and...”

“ Beauty !”  an excited boy's voice interrupted the story.

“You are so stupid, Lance!” shouted the girl, scolding her younger brother, and turned to her mother. “You meant diplomacy, didn't you mom?”

“You're both right” the woman replied warmly “The beauty of our race was also praised in the world. They sang songs about  Altean markings, pointed ears and multi-colored eyes, but it was our diplomatic abilities that provided Altea with so many benefits and alliances. That's why this place became so wonderful. However, hard times had come for entire world and our homeland was no exception. The Galra empire began invasions.”

“Nasty purple monsters.” the girl interjected with contempt in her voice. 

“Don’t be afraid, Allura! I will defend you from them!” Lance announced proudly. He jumped up on the bed and took a ‘fighting stance’. 

“Said someone who has to be protected even from spiders.” laughed Allura.

“Hey! This spider was extremely large and hairy.” groaned the boy.

“Exactly the same as  Galra .” the girl replied and stuck her tongue out at her younger brother.

“Hey! Do you want me to stop telling the story?” The mother sharply interrupted the  quarrel .

“No! Tell us about the princess, mom!” the kids cried out pleadingly.

“To bed and listen politely then.” ordered the woman, and in an instant each of the children was lying on their beds, staring at her with large eyes that gleamed in the light of the lamp. They both had beautiful blue eyes.  Alluras were a little brighter with purple pupils, while Lance's pupils were turquoise. They matched their  Altean markings. The girls were pale pink. The boys had the blue ones.

“The  Galra Empire was powerful” continued the mother. “They conquered almost the whole world. They ravaged and destroyed everything in their path. When they reached Altea, the evil emperor  Zarkon offered to spare our country. In exchange he demanded to marry a beautiful  Altean princess. However, our king didn’t want to agree to this because he knew that  Galra don't keep their promises anyway.  Zarkon would still pursue his goals at all costs and the princess would meet a lot of suffering. So, king ordered his daughter to run away from the castle and hide. The girl didn’t want to agree to abandon her people. However, she decided to obey her father eventually, when she saw how monstrous Galra and their cruel leader could be. The empire attacked and destroyed half the kingdom, but they underestimated the strength of the  Alteans , who fiercely defended the capital. In the end, the Emperor came to conclusion that our country had no more goods to seize, and turned his conquests in a different direction. And that's how Altea survived despite large damages, but the princesses never returned to the castle. She was ashamed of her escape and feared that her return would attract  Galra's attention again.”

"I think the princess did the right thing" said Allura confidently “ Galra wouldn't have spared Altea anyway”

"You're may be right" replied the mother thoughtfully and turned to her son “What do you think Lance? Do you agree with Allura?”

“I guess...”  he considered “...but I wouldn't do the same.  If there was a chance that I would save my country and my family, I would try i t . ” His mother looked at him warmly and ruffled his brown hair.

“Okey, I think it's time to sleep. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow” she said, standing up and ignoring the displeased groans. She kissed Lance and Allura on the cheeks and said “Good night”. The kids answered her in unison. She went out and took a deep breath when the door closed behind her.

“Children grow so fast. It’s a pity that they have to grow up in such poor conditions” the man's gentle voice surprised her. She turned and saw a red-haired Altean with a bushy mustache. 

“Coran? What are you doing here?” she asked displeased. She guessed the purpose of this visit. The friend visited their home rarely but quite regularly. Always for the same reason.

“Your brother sent me to convince you to come  back.” replied the man, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“How many times do I have to say no to make him understand? I'm sorry, but this is my home now. I'm no longer a princess.” the woman said firmly smiling to herself with a bittersweet feeling.

"I hate doing laundry." said Lance, and put a basket of dirty clothes by the river. Allura was already cleaning her skirts next to him.

“Stop whining, Lance. You are 20 years old. Act like the man you are.” his sister rebuked him. Lance mimicked her behind her back but he got to work anyway.

“And doing laundry is such a masculine activity” He talked back.

“Like any other self-caring.” his sister said briefly and Lance no longer bothered her.

He began scrubbing his shirt reluctantly, but his thoughts went in a completely different direction. He looked up at the mountains and sighed deeply. He dreamed of traveling and visiting different lands. He would conquer peaks and experience adventures, and maybe eventually he would find the place he belongs to. He always felt like he didn’t fit in this little village. It was so hard to get along with the people here. He was getting in trouble all the time, although his intentions were never bad. He had so many good ideas, why did no one want to listen to him?

‘If only I could see what's behind these mountains.’ he thought wistfully. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good time to travel. Emperor  Zarkon turned his attention to Altea again and everyone was worried that he would attack. People were upset and looked distrustful of all strangers. Every newcomer could be a Galra’s spy. Especially since their conquests and alliances subjugate most of the world, including various races. The rest of the countries preferred not to oppose  Zarkon and gave him whatever he wanted. They naively hoped that in exchange he would leave them in peace. 

Altea has been a relatively safe place for the last 20 years since the previous attack. However, it was only because  Zarkon decided that a few much easier preys were waiting for him at the other end of the world. Now, since these resources have run out, the  Galra began to look for other directions of expansion. Seeing the incoming threat, King  Alfor decided to look for allies, but there weren’t many  options . The only one who wasn't too afraid to resist  Zarkon was  Marmora. A newly established but very strong state in the north. To seal the alliance, the King decided to send his daughter to become the wife of the ruler there, but...

“Have you heard about princess's death?” the conversation of the passing women interrupted Lance's thoughts.

“Yes. Hard times have come for us” the other woman replied shaking her head worriedly.

Lance sighed again. Everyone was talking about the death of the princesses. Yes, there were two of them. The king believed this alliance was the last resort, so after the death of the first daughter, he sent a second one to Marmora as well. However, half a year later, another tragic news spread across Altea. Officially, both of them died of an unknown disease, but there were various rumors among the  Alteans . People talked about how barbaric the ruler of Marmora must be, that he kills his wife when he gets bored of her. Some even suspected that the girls had been eaten.

“Everyone is afraid of what's going to happen now.” said Allura when she saw Lance glance at the gossiping women.

“No wonder. King Alfor has no more children" mummed the boy.

“Well,  Marmorans are lucky anyway. Other countries would have declared war on them or demanded  reparations”

“We can't afford war” mumble Lance.

“Yes. The alliance with Marmora is the best option” Allura agreed “but I believe that the King will find some way out of this situation.” She said optimistically. "Okay, Lance. You can hang these clothes up, then go and see if mom needs any help. I can handle the rest.” She said knowing her brother was not a fan of this job and he was in a particularly bad mood today.

"Okay, thank you," Lance spoked slightly more cheerfully. He stood up and picked up a large laundry basket. Allura's friend - Romelle took his place and the girls immediately started laughing and gossiping. Lance has always admired his sister for being able to adapt to any situation and getting along with others so well. He was never good at it.

Their modest but neat house stood on the periphery and Lance had to walk a bit to get to it.

He immediately saw a carriage in front of the house. It was more expensive than any other he saw in the area. The boy put the basket and walked the carriage checking it out curiously. No, he definitely didn't know anyone who could afford such a thing. He slowly entered the house and instantly heard muffled conversation from the room around the corner of the hall.

"I wouldn't have asked you if it wasn't the only option" he heard a man's pleading voice.

"You don't understand! I can't ask her for something that I couldn't do myself." Lance's mother replied clearly nervous. In this moment the worried boy peered into the room which the voices were coming from.

"Lance" she whispered when she saw him. She looked at him as if apologizing for something terrible. Two men in expensive  robes stood in front of her. One with a red mustache and the other well built with white hair similar to his mother's.

"Lance" the white-haired  Altean turned towards him. "Nice to meet you. Your mother probably didn't tell you about me, but I'm your uncle” he said politely.

"Uncle?" Lance repeated in confusion and looked at the worried mother. The woman sighed deeply and said:

"Lance. This is King  Alfor , ruler of Altea and my brother."

"What?!" yelled Lance.

“I’m so sorry. I should tell you about it, but...” a worried woman explained. “It was so hard for me to admit my mistakes. The truth is that I am the lost princess from the stories. I’m so sorry.” Her voice was shaking. She approached her shocked son and hugged him.

“I was trying to convince your mother to return to palace many times, but I had to respect her decisions” the King said slowly. “However today, I came here to beg you for help in saving the kingdom, because I am desperate and I can find no other way out. I would like to ask your sister to become the third wife of the ruler of Marmora” the King said pleadingly.

Lance was so shocked he couldn't utter a single word. the whole world was spinning. 'What's going on here? Is it a bad dream?' he thought. All of It hit him like a bolt from the blue. His mother was a princess, his uncle was a king, and Allura... his beloved sister, who always protected him and saved him from oppression - the most important person in his life was supposed to leave to the harsh land on the north and marry the man called a barbarian and murderer.

"No" he said quietly.

“Don't worry I will not force her to do anything. It's her decision” King said slowly.

"No" repeated Lance louder and stronger. He knew his sister. He knew that she would sacrifice herself without hesitating. “I will not allow this. I won't agree to that even if she does. I will never let it happen” he said firmly he had never been so serious in his whole life.

"Lance. I know it's hard, but that's the only way to save our country," the king pleaded agin.

"That's my sister. I have to protect her. I'm not going to let her end up the same way as previous wives of that prick!” he shouted angry.

"Lance"  his mother admonished him

"What if you could take her place? Would you do that?" the king asked calmly, and Lance looked at him puzzled.

“Yes” he replied confused.

"So, you have a chance,"  Alfor nodded slowly. “In the Marmora, the gender of a partner doesn't matter much. I might send you there as well. The question is, whether you agree to take your sister's place? Will you go to a foreign country and marry another man? You do realize what it entails?”

Lance felt the seriousness of the situation as a terrible burden suddenly crushing his heart. It wasn't some 'what if'. He had to make his decision. Here and now. Suddenly, he remembered his own words from childhood: ‘If there was a chance that I would save my country and my family, I would try it.’ 

"I'll do it." He said determined. It was strange that his first serious decision as  grown-up man was to marry another man. Even weirder was the relief mixed with the anxiety which it brought.


	2. Galra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made it! The second chapter is here!  
> With a little piece of art ;)

“No way.” Allura said firmly. She was shocked when she came back home and it turned out that her younger brother not only did not hang out the laundry, but also intended to leave and get married. Not to mention the fact that their mother hid from them that she was a princess. What a madness? But first things first. she has to deal with her brother.

“I won't agree” she repeated even more forcefully.

“Like brother like sister” interjected Coran, the king's adviser.

“Allura!” Lance groaned pleadingly.

“No, Lance. I will go.” she replied adamantly.

“Well, you were the first choice, but I must admit that I hope Lance, as a man, can handle Marmora's harsh conditions better.” the king said calmly.

“Lance? A man!?” shouted Allura.

“Hej! You called me a man yourself!” Lance was indignant, but seeing his sister's helplessness and anxiety he softened. He came up to her and took her hands. “I know how you feel. I reacted the same way, but you always protect me. For once, I wanted to repay. Let me be a hero this time.” He said, looking her in the eye and gently squeezing her hands.

“It no like I want to take away your glory, Lance. That's not what it's all about... but you don't know what's waiting for you there. It's so far away.” the girl said in a pleading tone. At first, she was furious when she finds out that such an important decision had been made in her absence, but now his arguments began to reach her.

"Yes, and you know perfectly well that I always wanted to travel." the boy smiled reassuringly.

"It's not going to be a sightseeing tour, Lance!" Allura raised her voice again.

"Admit it, the truth is, you envy I'm the first to get married." her brother joked with a playful smile.

"Lance! I’m serious here." his sister scolded him.

“I know, I know. Calm down. It will be all right, ok. I can handle it.” he tried to convince her in earnest this time.

“You couldn't even handle the laundry” she muttered offended.

“Weren’t we supposed to be serious” he replied giving her plain look, but she only stood there and looked away. Wel, he probably deserved this one. “Hey! Since I'm getting married to a man that means you will always be the most important woman in my life.” he tried to cheer her up, but it didn't work out.

“What if I will never see you again.” she asked quietly. '…What if you get hurt' she added in her mind but didn’t dare to say it out loud

"It's not possible. We will not allow this!" Lance said confidently, and turned to Alfor. “isn't it right, uncle? Em... my king? Your Highness?

"You can tell me uncle, Lance. And yes, I'll make sure you can see each other. I will take Allura to Marmora and keep her safe," the king replied.

"See?" Lance turned back to his sister.

"Are you sure you want that?" asked Allura. She slowly noticed that her brother had already made his decision and her insisting would not change anything.

"Yes," he nodded seriously. He really wanted to protect his family. That was the most important thing at the moment. "It will be fine, you'll see. I will be waiting for your visit, my princess." He said dropping to one knee and kissing her hand. She finally gave him a small smile.

'This hand-kissing thing always works,' Lance thought while sitting in the king's carriage. He was glad that he managed to convince his sister and could save her, but... he was so afraid. he supposed to leave to the country of the barbarians and marry their ruler. He didn't know what to think about it.

“Em... Uncle?” he asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Lance?" the king replied gently.

“People say different things about the deaths of princesses and em... I wondered what the true was..."

"Well, I was told that both died of a severe illness. I don't know anything more, and even though it's an incredible coincidence, I believe in it for the good of the country and alliance with Marmora" the man explained in a sad voice.

"I'm so sorry," Lance said compassionately noticing the king's hidden suffering. Alfor could not even mourn his daughters properly. He didn't have time for that. The welfare of his people must always come first.

Lance hung his head and looked at his hand. The one his mother caught when he said goodbye to her. She hugged him tightly then and said: "I'm really sorry you have to suffer to fix my past mistakes. it's my fault and there's nothing I can do about it. I can only give you one piece of advice. Try to understand your future husband. Don't blame or judge him on what others say. Try to get to know him and become his friend. That's the only way for you to be happy with him, and I wish you that and will pray for it” she finished speaking with tears in her eyes and kissed him on the forehead.

And that’s how Lance, returning from the world of his memories, decided to follow his mother's advice.

The destination was the royal palace in the country's capital, Altena. The sight of the city itself has already took his breath away. It was so huge, colorful and full of all kinds of people. Unfortunately, Lance could see it only through the carriage window on the way to the castle. He has already seen it from afar as it rises majestically like a snow-white monument towering over the colorful sea of urban cloisters. From up close It was even more gorgeous. It consisted of many soaring towers which seemed to radiate brilliance thanks to their bright color. As if they were made of light or fluorescent crystals. There was also splendor inside. there were colorful and patterned carpets, tapestries and flowers. Lance was so charmed by the palace that he hardly noticed the people for a few days, which later turned out to be a blessing.

The next week passed very quickly. During this time, the new prince was trained to become a good wife. It was so weird. Under the supervision of strict royal teachers, he explored the knowledge that every well-born young lady should have. It was surprising how much learning there was and how useless some of these skills were. Especially for a man, because Lance was a man after all, right? Any more of that madness and he wouldn't be surprised if they told him to wear dresses. Not that what he had to dress in was any more practical.

The atmosphere in the castle was also strange. People didn't know how to treat Lance so there wasn’t a warm welcome. Or at least he didn’t feel like there was, because he also had no idea how to behave and it was so awkward. Of course, no one spoke rudely to him, but more than once he heard that uncertain tone in the voice of the nobility and rumors whispered by the servants. He felt eyes on his back all the time. He didn't know what he could do about it, and it bothered him more and more. Maybe if he had the adaptability and social skills of Allura everything would be different.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before the response from Marmora came. The ruler there agreed to marry Lance and Uncle Alfor was very pleased with it. That meant, the Marmorians wanted to maintain the alliance after all. This gave new hope for Altea but it also put a heavy burden on the one boy.

Preparations for the trip began immediately. Unluckily the king couldn’t leave the country so Lance left only with a convoy of guards. The road was long and tiring, but the boy was very pleased that he could see foreign lands. Even if he had to look at them through a small window again. Leaving the Altean castle also brought some kind of relief.

As they approached their destination, the landscape began to change. It was getting colder and the terrain was becoming more hilly.

One day Lance saw high mountains on the horizon. He leaned out of the window as far as he could and stared at them in awe. The tops reached so high they were hiding in the clouds. The boy had never seen anything like this before.

“Those are the Blades of Marmora. The highest peaks in this part of the world and the border of Marmora.” said the coachman seeing his gaze. “Better get ready, kid. We will be there in two days.”

And indeed, two days later, the palace appeared between the mountains. It hung high above the ground pretending to be another hill. Rising from the slope as if each of its towers was a peak. And probably many would be fooled by it.

Marmora was as different from Altea as night from day. The ruler's seat looked more like a simple fortress than a richly decorated Altean castle. The floors were not carpeted, the walls were rarely covered with tapestries, and there were no flowers. But plants need light, and the corridors here were so dark you could barely see where you were going. Well, the mountainous climate was much colder and the large windows would let the frosty air in. A soldier, asked about this, would probably say that small openings are a difficult target for archers, and these were the priorities of this land of warriors.

Lance was surprised by the great contrast between the countries. Not that this castle wasn’t impressive. It just was amazing in a completely different way.

He took his steps carefully and met almost no one on the way. They, who he passed didn't seem to pay much attention to him, too busy with their own business, while at the Altean court, Lance was a sensation from day one. Everyone paid attention to him there. Even more surprising was that citizens of Marmora were people of different races. Most of them were difficult to identify, especially for Lance, who had only seen Alteans in his life.

A Marmoran servant led the prince to the great wooden door, and two others opened it wide and invited him inside.

Lance entered the great hall, which was slightly richer than the rest of the castle. The floor was smooth marble with intricate veining, and the narrow windows were divided in amazing patterns. A great, stone throne stood on a platform at the far end of the room. And there he was. Lance's future husband. Tall and slim but well built, dressed in simple but elegant dark robes trimmed with leather and fur. Lance looked up at his lavender-skinned face and yellowish eyes with purple irises. Lush, dark hair fell over his neck and shoulders. Pointed ears covered with delicate purple fur were visible on either side of his face. White fangs flashed in his mouth, when he spoke to welcome guest.

“Galra” Lance whispered stunned.


End file.
